Classroom Activities
Encourage walking and bicycling by incorporating related topics into the classroom.
- Art, Computer Class
- Create posters promoting Walk to School Day and safe driving and walking messages.
- Geography
- Survey and create maps of walking routes to school.
- Health
- Use pedometers to measure steps, or simply measure walking time accumulated by students; study health benefits of physical activity.
- Physical Education
- Do some physical conditioning. Learn walking warm-ups and stretches and do some progressively longer walks in class to prepare for Walk to School Day.
- Mathematics
- Keep logs of walking time or steps; calculate speeds and distances, individual and group averages, trends and statistical analyses (do boys or girls walk more?)
- Physics
- Study the biomechanics of walking. For example, measure stride lengths-do they vary with height, weight, age, leg length? How does walking speed depend on you step speed and stride length?
- Biology
- Look for specific plant or animal species, or inventory indigenous species along walking routes. Catalogue seasonal changes in the flora and fauna.
- English
- Write press releases and public service announcements to promote Walk to School Day. Write essays or keep a diary about your experiences walking.
- History
- Study historical locations in your community by walking to them.
- Social Sciences
- Photograph important things about your community observed while walking to school. Anything you'd like to change? What can you do about it?
For more ideas:
- Marin County, CA, Safe Routes to School Lesson Plans
- Marin County, CA’s Safe Routes to School page for lesson plans focused on safety, physical activity and the environment.
- Portland, OR, Safe Routes to School Learning
- Portland, OR’s Office of Transportation offers K-8 curriculum focused on safety and transportation alternatives.
